Mumbai: On a Mumbai monsoon morning, while rain gods took some respite, Riah Rajani a grade 5 student of The Cathedral and John Connon School at Fort, launched her debut book, Animal Academy - Rainforest Rescue at Crossword bookstore on Saturday, July 29.
A room full of Riah’s well-wishers sat in awe while she confidently read out her book and spoke of her inspirations. Friends, teachers, and family spoke of Riah’s journey as a writer and a literature enthusiast. Her friends however collectively resorted to reading her book first and doing their homework later!
Her book is about Emily who is delighted to be at her dream academy with her amazing horse, Thunder. And about how they have tons of fun together at Animal Academy, with exciting pet-friendly lessons and beautiful school grounds. Soon, things start going strangely. Emily and her friends are sure there's something going on and they're determined to get to the bottom of it.
How Emily, Thunder, and their new friends solve the mystery and save the Academy is also a chapter that Riah enjoyed writing the most.
Riah learned to use a computer and MS Word as an 8-year-old during the lockdown in 2020 when children across the globe were compelled to do online schooling. Thus, started her journey of writing her stories and documenting them.
Photo Credit: Pushpita Chatterjee
Riah signed about 50 copies of her debut book and of 200 books, about 195 books sold out, Crossword bookstore confirmed.
She wrote this book over a year and a little more before sending it to the publisher. Her mother, Mayana Sobti Rajani, said “ I was pleasantly surprised at the patience and perseverance Riah showed in writing this book. The fact that she not only started and finished it, she also edited it along the way to better the quality of her writing absolutely moved me.”
“All in a year’s work, her language quality bettered with her increasing vocabulary and so did her interest in writing,” she added.
At the launch, Riah's Pre-Primary Headmistress, Rekha Talpade recollected Riah’s first day in school and said “Riah walked in with a rather nervous father and chatty mother and seemed absolutely oblivious to everything except the garden adjacent. She almost immediately wandered off into the bushes and trees. Her love for jungles, animals and all things nature was evident even as a toddler. I'm not surprised that she wrote a book at such a young age, instead, I'm just thrilled.”
While another teacher Bindi Bhatia also, penned a poem for Riah and recited it to the room.
